Vegan Bake Sale in Taipei Grows Community

Taiwan is a country known for its 人情味, or human touch. When foreigners first come to Taiwan, many of their initial observations involve Taiwanese people: “Everyone is so nice!” “No one litter!” “People are so polite here!”

Thus, it makes sense that on an island with one of the best recycling program in Asia and where the president supports gay rights and transitional justice, concern and consideration for humane treatment extends not only to other humans and the environment, but also to animals.

The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale Taipei, a charity sale with such ethically sound aspirations it could only exist here in Taiwan, took place on June 26th this year at Red Room.

「台北全球純素烘焙義賣」活動現場 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

Although I arrived late, the Red Room was still bustling when I got there. The art space, located in an air force base-turned cultural park, had a cheerful, energetic atmosphere as plant-based eaters from all corners of the island came together for the biggest vegan bake sale of the year.

This is the second year of the sale. The event is put on by It’s a Vegan Affair, a Taipei-based community that supports cruelty-free eating. It’s a Vegan Affair, initially comprised of regular potlucks and restaurant meetups, focuses on bringing people together to share plant-based meals. However, organizer Daisy Lin had always wanted to do more for the community.

Then, one of the members, Josette Penzel, found out about the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale and thought it was a great way for Taipei to earn some recognition from vegans abroad. The bake sale, which takes place all over the world at around the same time each year, is run by A Well-Fed World, a non-profit in the US dedicated to hunger relief and animal protection. The non-profit encourages vegan groups worldwide all over the world to participate in the sale and donate the proceeds to local charity organizations.

The turnout last year wildly exceeded expectations — over 700 people showed up to the tiny storefront and everything was sold within two hours. So, this year the group made the event even bigger.

幸運在台灣出生的小孩 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

參與者琢磨著該買什麼 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

「Fresh Bakery」的義工正在剪價格標籤 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

#Veganaffair (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

“We made thousands of cookies, hundreds and hundreds of brownies, a hundred banana breads. The community involvement has been amazing and the support we have had from so many people,” said Josette. “And of course the turnout was incredible, showing people that we have a really strong vegan community here in Taipei. If you want to be vegan you have so many options and so many people here to support you.”

Over 30 different restaurants, bakeries and home bakers participated in the event, donating their time, energy and products. In the days leading up to the bake sale, It’s a Vegan Affair managed over 100 volunteers, coordinated recipe development and testing, as well as oversaw the baking at two different kitchens, generously donated by Grandma Nitti’s and Fresh Bakery.

Paula Perry was the head baker and she produced 90 percent of the goods. She devoted three weekends leading up to the sale to preparation and baking — churning out a whopping 2,700 cookies and 800 brownies. Originally a vegan baker at the “Screaming Carrot” in the UK, Paula has been vegan for decades and is currently raising her child vegan as well.

更多的杯子蛋糕照片，有機會贏得好東西 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

杯子蛋糕照片 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

在照片中為了另一張照片擺姿勢 (Haichen Hsu 攝影)

左為 Victor 、右為 Naomi ，均在 NOM Magazine 工作，在義賣活動中經營一個攤位 (Haichen Hsu 攝影)

The desserts on display at the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale Taipei ran the gamut of veganism, from simple vegan iterations of their egg-and-cream filled counterparts to more adventurous versions that are also gluten-free or raw. The unique desserts put out by Ooh Cha Cha and Plants Eatery(one even had sweet potato frosting!) were sold out before the event was over.

There were some savory options by way of potato and bean empanadas from Sophie’s, quesadillas from Fresh Bakery and an off-the-menu burger from Ooh Cha Cha, all of which were available before the bake sale at an earlier event, the Early Bird Yoga Session.

小男孩正吞下「Soul R Vegan Café」的提拉米蘇 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

香蕉蛋糕，當然是純素的 Peilin Hsu 攝影)

開心的參與者和來自台中「Li Han」的紅蘿蔔蛋糕 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

「Ooh Cha Cha」的香蕉和西葫蘆(zucchini)瑪芬蛋糕 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

「Sophie’s 純素墨西哥美食」的恩潘納達 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

吃下肚之前先來張合照 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

「VegeTable café and dining 蔬桌」的奇亞子 (Runivore) 餅乾 (取自店家臉書)

Daisy, who has been running Vegan Affair for several years and also manages Brightside Projects, which provides plant-based meals and workshops on making plant-based meals to aboriginal communities, was the primary organizer of the bake sale. Vegan Affair’s motivation behind hosting the bake sale lies in raising public awareness about vegan food and building a stronger vegan community. “The most important thing is getting everyone involved on a singular goal that has a positive impact. If someone can wash dishes or bake cookies, [eating vegan is] something that anyone can participate in,” said Daisy.

As volunteers mingled with attendees and exchanged tips on making delicious vegan desserts, I felt that a sense of community was certainly being formed. Many of the participants were familiar faces, as many had shown up at the Taipei Vegan Frenzy the previous month. Restaurant owners also stopped by to say hello to their customers, and photo taking among the event’s patrons was de rigeur.

Eco-responsibility was clearly on the agenda as well, as many vendors were using recyclable or eco-conscious materials. Soul R Vegan Cafe’s tiramisu cups were sold in actual ceramic mugs served with compostable cutlery for a killer deal at NT$150 each. Participants were also asked to bring their own containers as a way to reduce waste and promote environmental responsibility.

右起：Mai Bach 和 Stella Wu，「Ooh Cha Cha」的創辦人和經理 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

「Sweet Vegan」的 Julie 和她那既好看又不含動物成分的烘焙作品 (Haichen Hsu 攝影)

「Fresh Bakery」的老闆 Ravi 向顧客解釋他的純素餐點 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

位於照片左邊的 Josette Penzel 和參與者 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

右為 Lisa，左為 Sarah Perry (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

Estimated sales for this year are expected to top NT$200,000, a substantial increase from the NT$120,000 made last year. The beneficiaries included Bright Side Projects and two animal welfare organizations: Animals Taiwan, a rescue and rehabilitation center, and Mary’s Doggies, which helps stray dogs find homes in Taiwan and abroad.

Liza Milne, the on-site volunteer representing Animals Taiwan and Mary’s Doggies, provided some insight into the connection between veganism and animal welfare.

“We help out stray animals in Taiwan, but we also need to push for eating more plants, including both vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. Not everyone can be completely vegan, but everyone can cut back a little bit. This would make the world a better place and reduces suffering not just of cats and dogs, but of other animals as well.”

As the event drew to a close, volunteers scurried up and down the stairs, carrying boxes of signs, labels, and leftovers down to the cars that were to take them back to their respective homes. There was a brief pause as a group photo was taken, and everyone jumped right back to work. Stragglers broke off in groups to post-parties at various eateries around the city, while exhausted vendors prepared for a respite in the evening.

It was then that I too took my leave, my sweet tooth satiated without any of the usual guilt that might accompany an afternoon spent gorging on dessert. After all, everything was for a good cause, right?

活動之後的團體照 (Peilin Hsu 攝影)

(Quotes have been annotated for brevity and clarity)

Garvin Ha, Videographer Extraordinaire, has graciously put together this short video of the event. View it on Vimeo here!

Darice is an artist, writer, model and translator residing in Taipei. She volunteered with a metaller turned legislator and facilitated for stories appearing in the BBC, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, L’Orange, and Metal Hammer. She was previously Community Manager at FutureWard Central, Taipei's largest co-working and makerspace. In her spare time she enjoys amazing vegan food, photoshoots, and music festivals.

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Mike Fagan

As I am waiting for the pork to finish cooking for my six dogs’ dinner, I might as well comment…

1) “Taiwan is a country known for its 人情味, or human touch. When foreigners first come to Taiwan, many of their initial observations involve Taiwanese people: “Everyone is so nice!” “No one litter!” “People are so polite here!”

And once they venture outside the few gentrified parts of Taipei city, they find that that description is only sometimes true. Elsewhere in Taiwan littering (and wholesale fly tipping) is a persistent problem and “politeness” very much depends on the situation; the widespread lack of courtesy toward other drivers and pedestrians is one example of how this is so.

2) “Thus, it makes sense that on an island with one of the best recycling program [sic] in Asia and where the president supports gay rights and transitional justice, concern and consideration for humane treatment extends not only to other humans and the environment, but also to animals.”

Not it doesn’t make sense; it is a spectacularly illogical cluster of non-sequiturs. What is the consequential connection between recycling and gay marriage? Or between the sale of stolen party assets and animal “rights”? In what possible, non-LSD-soaked universe does recyling have anything whatsoever to do with gay marriage?

3) “The Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale Taipei, a charity sale with such ethically sound aspirations it could only exist here in Taiwan, took place on June 26th this year at Red Room.”

On a prima facie reading, none of that makes sense either. This vegan bake sale was “worldwide” yet it was only in Taipei and “could only exist in Taiwan”. Well if it could only exist in Taiwan, then it doesn’t make much sense to describe it as “worldwide” does it?

4) “The event is put on by It’s a Vegan Affair, a Taipei-based community that supports cruelty-free eating.”

Slaughtering animals for sustenance does not constitute cruelty. Torturing stray animals at military bases and elsewhere does. Farmers and butchers are involved in a trade and are motivated by the prospect of earning money. The scumbags in the Kaohsiung Marines who beat and hung Shao Bai were motivated by a combination of sadism and boredom. The two are in no sense equivalent.

5) “The bake sale, which takes place all over the world at around the same time each year, is run by A Well-Fed World, a non-profit in the US dedicated to hunger relief and animal protection.”

And yet it “could only exist in Taiwan”?

Any organization which is genuinely dedicated to hunger relief and animal protection needs to be turning a profit. Because it is only by turning a profit that any such organization can become financially sustainable and independent.

6) “The non-profit encourages vegan groups worldwide all over the world to participate in the sale and donate the proceeds to local charity organizations.”

Ah, so this charity is really just a fundraising group and a chance for vegans to meet other vegans.

7) “Estimated sales for this year are expected to top NT$200,000, a substantial increase from the NT$120,000 made last year. The beneficiaries included Bright Side Projects and two animal welfare organizations: Animals Taiwan, a rescue and rehabilitation center, and Mary’s Doggies, which helps stray dogs find homes in Taiwan and abroad.”

Donating substantial sums to charities who actually try to help Taiwan’s stray dogs is good, but these sorts of donations are necessarily occassional. What would be far more effective is for the people involved in “A Vegan Affair” to adopt stray animals themselves. I have almost certainly spent somewhere between NT$120,000 and NT$200,000 on food and various medicines for my six dogs in the last two years alone.

8) “We help out stray animals in Taiwan, but we also need to push for eating more plants, including both vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. Not everyone can be completely vegan, but everyone can cut back a little bit. This would make the world a better place and reduces suffering not just of cats and dogs, but of other animals as well.”

Most people in Taiwan eat chicken, pork, duck, fish and beef, not stray dogs and cats (though there are probably still some illegal restaurants) so eating more plants will not make stray cats and dogs in Taiwan any safer will it?

9) “…my sweet tooth satiated without any of the usual guilt that might accompany an afternoon spent gorging on dessert. After all, everything was for a good cause, right?”

Your “guilt” is your own mental problem, and not something other people are obliged to indulge by similarly referring to veganism as “a good cause”.

bbarnavi

Such edgy contrarianism. Wow. You must’ve done the world a major favor by deconstructing hippie tropes.

Buddhist ahimsa is already all over Taiwan, so western veganism fits right in.